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Posted: 2024-12-09 01:06:00

Hundreds of homes across New South Wales remain without power and schools have closed as the clean-up following wild weekend storms continues.

At one stage on Sunday afternoon, more than 10,000 homes in the Northern Rivers region were blacked out after the 66,000-volt powerline between Lismore and Woodburn was damaged by powerful winds.

Hundreds of properties are still without power as Essential Energy staff continue to work across the region.

The Lismore High and Richmond River High campuses of the Rivers Secondary College in Lismore are both closed due to damage caused by winds, which the State Emergency Service (SES) estimated had gusts over 125 kph. 

Video posted on social media also showed large trees uprooted at the nearby Lismore campus of Southern Cross University.

NSW SES Chief Superintendent Scott McLennan said volunteers in the region were called to more than 50 jobs.

"Most of those were trees down, a couple of roofs damaged, a couple of gutters were blown off but no-one was injured," he said.

"No flood rescues yesterday … which is good, and people are being mindful of driving through flood waters."

AN SES volunteer stands on a damaged roof with fallen trees in the foreground.

SES crews were called to more than 300 jobs in the Riverina. (Supplied: SES)

Hundreds of calls for help in the Riverina

In the state's south, the damage was more widespread. 

SES crews were called to more than 300 jobs after a violent storm ripped through parts of the Riverina region on Saturday afternoon, uprooting trees, ripping the roofs off buildings and bringing down powerlines.

The worst-affected communities included Yenda, Coleambally, and The Rock near Wagga Wagga.

Coleambally man Ian Sutherland told ABC Riverina Breakfast a community gala scheduled for Saturday night had to be called off.

A large red brick commercial building with its roof damaged and blown off

Several buildings at Yenda, near Griffith, were damaged by the weekend storm. (ABC Riverina: Lucas Forbes)

"It was as a good storm as I've ever seen," he said.

"I've seen rain like that but the wind that came with it, I can't say I've seen that before."

At The Rock, local woman Gail Driscoll said the storm only lasted for half an hour but the damage was significant.

An SES 4WD beside a truck with a large pole through its windscreen, with metal debris in the foreground.

A storm ripped the roofs off buildings and drove a pole through the windscreen of this truck at The Rock, near Wagga Wagga. (Supplied: SES)

She said some debris went through a truck's windscreen and into the passenger seat.

"We are just so lucky no one was injured by any of that flying debris," Ms Driscoll said.

Houses uninhabitable

In Griffith, where wind gusts of up to 115 kph were recorded, SES units received more than 100 requests for assistance.

Five houses in the area have been uninhabitable after the storms, with the SES providing temporary accommodation to families.

Two SES volunteers with their backs to the camera survey fallen trees and a damaged home.

SES volunteers survey the damage caused by a major storm in the Riverina. (Supplied: SES)

Local SES Deputy Commander, Anthony Hatch, said 40 jobs were still outstanding and more were coming in.

"When it hit, there were power lines down and a number of power lines down on houses and people trapped inside," he said.

"We set up exclusion zones and we had to get our crews to use their electrical detectors to test for electricity radiating through the ground."

Yenda farmer John Ward lost his verandah in Saturday's storm, and his lounge room ceiling also collapsed.

He said his whole community has banded together to help each other.

A man wearing a plain shirt stands in his lounge room. His storm-damaged ceiling is behind him.

Yenda farmer John Ward lost his verandah and had his roof damaged in the storm. (ABC Riverina: Lucas Forbes)

"All it takes is a disaster to bring a community together," he said.

"It was really nice to go to the dump yesterday with a heap of stuff and to see the camaraderie of people helping each other."

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